What's New
The Jets attacked the tighteEnd position not only in free agency, but also in the 2022 NFL Draft. They signed three new tight ends to the Green & White in the offseason. That list includes Tyler Conklin from the Minnesota Vikings, C.J. Uzomah from the Cincinnati Bengals, and Jeremy Ruckert, a third-round draft pick from Ohio State.
Conklin, a fifth-round draft pick in 2018, comes to the Jets after a career year with the Vikings. Conklin had 61 catches, 593 yards and 3 touchdowns in his breakout 2021 season.
Uzomah, who helped lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season, also had a career season. Uzomah had career highs with 49 receptions, 493 yards and 5 touchdowns. Uzomah sprained his MCL in the AFC championship gam, but returned for the Super Bowl and is now healthy.
The Jets 101st draft pick was used in the third round to select TE Ruckert. Like Conklin and Uzomah, Ruckert also had his best season in 2021. Ruckert had 26 receptions, 309 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Players to Watch
The new kids on the block will be hard to keep their eyes off, but the one I'd look to in particular is Conklin. He has already run the Jets' West Coast-style offense when he played with the Vikings.
"The offense, I'm very familiar with it," he said. "We ran it the past three years in Minnesota."
Not only did Conklin have a career year in the 2021 season with the Vikings, but he also improved every year statistically since he was drafted in 2018.
See the top photos of the Jets TEs leading up to training camp.
Key Question
How many tight ends will the Jets keep?
Last season, the Jets main tight ends were Ryan Griffin, Tyler Kroft, Kenny Yeboah and Trevon Wesco. Griffin led the group with 27 receptions for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns, Kroft followed with 16 receptions for 173 yards and 1 touchdown, and Yeboah and Wesco had 2 and 3 receptions for 36 and 35 yards. Griffin was released this past April and Kroft's one-year deal was not renewed.
The Jets kept four tight ends on the roster in 2021. With the offseason moves, the Green & White have five: Ruckert, Uzomah, Conklin, Yeboah, and Wesco. If they follow the same blueprint as last year, training camp will be a time to earn a roster spot.
